I will call this chapter…driving lessons.

I’m a 24-year-old, living in New York City and don’t have my license.

My whole life, I’ve gotten rides. As a child, my Mom drove me everywhere. As an adult, Uber and Lyft have taken her place. When they’re unavailable or overpriced, those good old-fashioned cab services come in handy. My mom would say driving me everywhere as a kid was her honor, but also led her to raise a bougie child turned adult who can’t return the favor.

One summer in the country though, I did learn how to drive – a little. I was 14 years old and my Grandma taught me in the school parking lot in Sparta, Georgia. So, while I know I have a sense of the wheel and could drive in an emergency, I don’t have any real training. I’m unfamiliar with the rules of the road and quite frankly, driving in the country is way different from driving in the city. I never really cultivated the skill.

Though I have a familiarity behind the wheel, there’s still a lot more I need to learn, same in life. I’ve learned a lot but have yet to cultivate the best habits. I’m good at my job, but not quite sure how to grow in my industry. I have a sense of how to navigate adulting, but there are still some challenges. Challenges like finding a church, trying to meet people and date organically, maintaining my budget, and continually depositing money into my savings account; things don’t seem to happen the way they should. I’m almost never prepared for a rainy day and thus forced to finesse. I’ve kind of been going with the flow. Life’s experiences are chauffeuring me around. And every time I get a grip or handle on a challenge, another issue pops up.

You see, for a long time, I road in the passenger seat of my life, just as I’ve always ridden in the passenger seat of a car. I’ve allowed life’s circumstances to determine not only my pace but where I’ve headed. Because of this, my adult life has been pretty reactive. But in this chapter, I’m learning how important it is to get in the driver’s seat of my life and learn to navigate. With proper planning and a full tank of gas, I can go anywhere both literally and figuratively. Of course, there will be challenges. There are always blocks in the road or detour signs, but the key is to take the proper steps to get lessons and learn to drive myself.

I will call this chapter… driving lessons.

I’ll have a better chance of determining where I end up if I’m the one doing the steering.